Igúzquiza

Municipality and town of Spain

Igúzquiza is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain. Igúzquiza is 4 km from Estella and 50.03 km from the capital of the community, Pamplona. It covers an area of 18.02 km² (roughly 6.95 miles) and Its population in 2023 was 301 inhabitants.

The municipality of Igúzquiza is composed of the councils and places of Ázqueta, Igúzquiza, Labeaga, and Urbiola. This district has functioned as an independent municipality since 1846, the year in which the municipality of Valle de Santesteban de la Solana, to which the entire set of localities belonged, ceased to exist. This included the present municipalities of Arróniz, Barbarin, Luquin, and Villamayor de Monjardín.

It borders to the north with the district of Metauten and Allín, to the east with Ayegui, to the south with Dicastillo, the Montejurra communal land, and Luquin, and finally, to the west with Villamayor de Monjardín and Abáigar. The Ega River crosses the territory on the northern part, also serving as the boundary with Metauten, situated on its right bank.

It is believed that the toponym 'Igúzquiza' derives from the Basque 'iguzki,' which means 'sun,' and the augmentative suffix ' tza.' Therefore, its meaning could be translated as 'The Sunny Place.'

The Hermitage of the Immaculate was built in the 17th century. The parish church of San Andrés de Igúzquiza was built in the 12th century, under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Pamplona y Tudela and deanery of Estella Viana. The parish church of Igúzquiza, which bears the name of the apostle San Andres and boasts valuable Romanesque lineage and the chi rho or labarum of Constantine; housed in its presbytery are several military trophies, flags, weapons, gauntlets, helmets, and spurs, probably donated by the Medrano family upon returning from an unspecified warlike enterprise. These trophies can only be attributed to Medrano, as there is no memory of another lineage in the locality of Iguzquiza who has held such a high or martial position as Medrano. The Palace of Vélaz de Medrano was built in the 11th century, then rebuilt in the 15th century, it is the most significant monument in Igúzquiza, overlooking the town and municipality.